This year, on November 5, another voluntary blood drive was organized at B2Kapital, attracting a large turnout from our employees, just as in previous years. For our organization, the donation program and the partnership between the Croatian Institute for Transfusion Medicine, donors and community is the foundation of social solidarity.
As in previous years, there were more of those who wanted to donate blood than those who could actually do it, according to the strict health rules. Nonetheless, we appreciate their noble intentions and thank each and every member of our team on behalf of those who need the blood.
We would also like to thank the employees of the Croatian Institute for Transfusion Medicine for the opportunity and their long-standing cooperation and encourage other companies and citizens to visit http://hztm.hr/hr/content/22/zalihe-krvi/831/zalihe-krvi to learn about the current status of the blood supplies in Croatia. Presently, there are enough supplies of all the blood types, but with a somewhat lower number of units of 0, B- and AB-.
Even though Croatia has a continued need for blood donations, the number of units collected is, unfortunately, not on the rise. According to the data of the Croatian Institute for Transfusion Medicine, a total of 190,447 units of full blood were collected in 2018, down by 4,255 units year-on-year. There has also been a drop in the number of collected units in Zadar, Varaždin and Zagreb, which is why we would like to appeal to the companies and people in those cities to donate blood, especially in this pre-holiday period, when we expect a large influx of tourists to Croatia.